Next year, Disney World guests will blast off on a space-faring adventure with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This week, the coaster's vehicles officially arrived onthe tracks at EPCOT, giving us our best look yet at the family coaster.
In an accompanying blog post, Wyatt Winter, a Senior Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, provided all-new details for the Omnicoaster. The programmable roller coaster ride system allows guests to rotate along the ride track in any direction while traveling at high speeds.
The rotational movement of the vehicle allows Disney Imagineers to turn guests in any direction to focus their attention on a specific scene or element. Guests will go up, down, forwards, backwards and even rotate 360 degrees as they blast through the "storytelling" coaster.
This is one of the smoothest and most comfortable roller coaster vehicles I have experienced. And when you combine that with the rotational element, it creates a unique sensation as if you are drifting. It will take us into the story in a way no high-speed attraction ever has before.
Each vehicle is also equipped with giant speakers. We all know the awesome soundtrack that accompanies the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and Wyatt Winter assured fans the coaster will also feature some great music. "We can’t quite tell you what music will be on this mixtape yet, but can guarantee it will add to the excitement," he teased.
As for how the Guardians of the Galaxy will fit into EPCOT's overall park theme, Winter explained that as the first “Other-World” Showcase pavilion, it will provide an opportunity to learn about a culture beyond Earth's galaxy.
EPCOT has always been about experiencing and learning from other cultures from around the world, so now we will get to learn from a culture that is just a bit farther away, the world of Xandar. Guests will be invited to learn more in a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar’s galaxy.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind found its home in the previous Universe of Energy show building which was reused and retrofitted for the coaster. This massive space has allowed Disney to create a new attraction that'll fully immerse park goers, according to Winter.
The scale of this attraction is mind boggling! I’m taken aback by the sheer size and ambition each time I go on the construction site. I cannot wait for guests to see all that we’ve created to immerse them into the Guardians’ universe. Plus, guests will get to experience new things we’ve never done before within one of the longest enclosed roller coasters in the world.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is the first major Marvel attraction to arrive at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The attraction is slated to open in 2021, but could be pushed to 2022 depending on what happens with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.